CHICAGO — Former House speaker Dennis Hastert, who less than a decade ago stood second in line to the presidency, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison Wednesday for a bank fraud case linked to allegations he sexually abused teen boys more than 30 years ago.

Federal Judge Thomas Durkin called Hastert, 74, a “serial child molester” and rejected a prosecutor’s recommendation of six months in prison on a banking charge that carries a maximum five-year sentence. The court also fined Hastert $250,000 and sentenced him to two years of supervised release after leaving prison. Hastert must register as a sex offender.

“Nothing is more disturbing than having ‘serial child molester’ and ‘Speaker of the House’ in the same sentence,” Durkin said.

Hastert, who entered court in a wheelchair and needed help standing to address the judge, admitted for the first time mistreating some athletes when he was a high school wrestling coach in Illinois before he began his political career.

Wade Robson and James Safechuck may accomplish what countless prosecutors could not: prove in court that Michael Jackson was a serial child molester.

The purported victims must first overcome a major hurdle — both their legal claims were filed more than a year after the King of Pop’s 2009 death, missing the statutory deadline….

Lawyers say the King of Pop shelled out nearly $200 million to as many as 20 victims.

Safechuck first met Jacko in 1987, when James was 8 years old. Safechuck will testify that Jacko repeatedly molested him a year later during a tour and that Jacko wrote a check for more than $1 million to Safechuck’s father, a sanitation worker.

Safechuck claims in court filings that Jacko held a secret wedding ceremony, with the young boy as his bride. He said the singer gave him a marriage certificate and a wedding band as keepsakes and confirmation of their “undying love.”

It was Safechuck and another alleged victim, Jordan Chandler, to whom Jacko’s sister LaToya ­referred in a 1993 Tel Aviv press conference in which she vowed to “not be a silent collaborator in my brother’s crimes.”….

The duo for the first time will be allowed to detail past, undisclosed settlements between Jacko and boys. Sources contend there were at least 20 young victims, who reaped — with their parents and attorneys — upward of $200 million cumulatively in hush money.

Michael Jackson allegedly paid millions to silence accusers
Apr 5th 2015
Two new civil cases have accused Michael Jackson of paying millions in hush money to sexual abuse accusers over the years.

Two men, claiming to have been abused by Jackson as children, are suing his estate for punitive damages. Because they are civil cases, lawyers will be able to use evidence excluded from the criminal proceedings.

The New York Post reports that Jackson paid out nearly $200 million to at least 20 alleged victims and their families over the years….

One of the men suing Jackson’s estate, James Safechuck, claims he was abused more than 100 times by the pop star, beginning when he was eight years old. The suit also claims that Jackson wrote a $1 million check to Safechuck’s father.

Michael Jackson Allegedly Paid $200 Million to 20 Child Sex Abuse Victims
Monday, April 6, 2015
by Nina Ulloa
Why is it that Michael Jackson child sex cases always seemed to get pushed under the rug? It could be because Jackson allegedly paid $200 million to keep victims quiet.

Lawyers for Wade Robson and James Safechuck say as many as 20 victims were paid off. Both Robson and Safechuck says Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. A judge is deciding whether they can bring this information to court for the first time.

Safechuck says the abuse happened when he was nine, and that Jackson paid his father $1 million. He also says Jackson held a secret wedding ceremony and he was the child bride.

WOBURN — A lawyer for accused serial child molester John Burbine proposed in court Wednesday that his client be castrated in exchange for a sharply reduced prison sentence, but said prosecutors rejected the idea and were preparing for trial.

William Barabino, who represents Burbine, said he was seeking a plea agreement that would limit Burbine’s sentence to a maximum of 15 years if he agreed to undergo the procedure. But prosecutors, who are seeking a life sentence for Burbine, said they were not open to a plea, Barabino said….

Burbine is accused of raping and sexually abusing 13 children that he gained access to through his wife’s unlicensed day care business between 2010 and 2012. The youngest victim was eight days old. Authorities say most of the assaults took place in the victims’ homes….

John Burbine is also facing charges that he raped a boy in Saugus on several occasions from 1990 to 1994. He was convicted and received a six-month suspended sentence for sexually molesting three young brothers in the late 1980s.